Safety address-stamp



(No Mael.)

D. SKUTSGH. SAFETY ADDRESS STAMP.

Patented Dec. 1, 11891.

ibm

was

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID SKUTSCH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFETY ADDRESS-STAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,085, dated December 1, 1891. Application tiled January 3, 1891. Serial No, 376,667. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID SKUTSCH, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri,haveinvented certainnewand useful Improvements in Safety Address-Stamps 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part ofthisspecicatiomin Which- Figure l is a face View of my improved safety address-stamp. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of an envelope with a stamp applied. Figz is a rearvie\v of an envelope with stamp attached. Y

My invention is an improved address-stam p to be used in connection with the general means of intercommunication, notably letters, packages, and other mattei' transmitted through the mails. Its objects are, rst, to afford additional assurance to safe delivery to party addressed or otherwise increased certainty of return to the sender of the matter transmitted Without unsealing thereof; second, to furnish additional Ysecurity against p any unauthorized opening or tampering with such matter.

This invention consists in a stamp of flexible material, preferably of two or more connected parts, readily attachable to any card, envelope, package, dac., and which bears an impression, imprint, design, lettering, or other suitable information on one surface in the manner and substantially as hereinafter set forth. Both parts may be suitably enlarged, so as to cover the face of the envelope or package entirely and covering other portions sufliciently to give room for all necessary information to be printed thereon and to insure at t-he same time absolute safety against surreptitious opening of any part of the same without danger of detection.

In the accompanying drawings the stamp consists of a strip or piece of iiexible material adapted to be folded upon itself, forming two parts A B. The part A has printed upon it the name and address of sender or any design, &c., by which the safe return of the letter to the writer, if not delivered to the addressee, is insured, and on part B is printed the same or similar matter or directions.

Parts A B are connected, but distinguishable, by a division-line on which the stamp is folded, preferably a line of perforations, so that the parts can be separated and also more readily folded. The prin ted matter on parts A B preferably face in opposite directions, though on the same side of the strip, and the opposite face ofthe strip is gummed, like ordinary stamps.

/Vherea stamp is intended to entirely cover one side of the matter transmitted, blank spaces for any suitable inscription are left upon its surface. I

The use of said stamp in ordinary correspondence is in the following manner: A stamp, to be placed by the party addressed upon the envelope containing his reply to n original writer, having been inclosed in the letter, or partly attached to one of the sheets of the same, the letter is sealed and a safety address-stamp moistened and affixed to any suitable part of the envelope, part B being attached, say, to the back of the envelope at theiap side thereof and part A being turned over the edge and attached to the front face of the envelope. Thus the stamp serves both as a seal and as a precaution against unauthorized opening of the letter and also as a means for conveying the desired information exhibited thereon.' In the event of the removal, change of address or name, death, or any other cause-such as illegible address, er-

ror in statement in place of destination, streetnumber, business, or other conceivable reason 4for the non-delivery of the letter thus provided with a safety address-stamp-the letter will be returned to the correct address of the sender or disposed of as directed upon the `v stamp, and at all events, if sent to the Dead- Letter Office it will be returned in accordance with the address or designation indicated on the stamp attached or inclosed. The importance of the arrangement here indicated lies principally in the fact that it overcomes successfully the main cause of the loss, miscarriage, or erroneous disposition of letters caused by the haste with which the vast masses of letter-writers dash off'carelessly illegible or incomplete addresses, such as a presupposed full name or confused figures on their letters.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- A duplex stamp for the purpose specified, consisting of a strip Aof flexible material en- 5 tirely guinrned over one of its faces and adapted to be attached to an envelope or sheet by folding it upon itself over the edge of the envelope, so that its folds embrace the envelope and the gnmmed surfaces of the folds adro here tothe opposite faces of the envelope, and

having on the opposite outer faces of the| 

